Patriots Beat: Belichick rises to the occasion

Bill Belichick, the football coach, will be back at the Gillette Stadium podium early Friday morning, stiff-arming questions of varying gridiron significance. Wednesday’s press conference, however, was not for matters X and O. "I’m going to address the situation involving Aaron Hernandez today," Belichick said at the start of an 848-word opening statement.

Bill Belichick, the football coach, will be back at the Gillette Stadium podium early Friday morning, stiff-arming questions of varying gridiron significance.

Wednesday’s press conference, however, was not for matters X and O.

"I’m going to address the situation involving Aaron Hernandez today," Belichick said at the start of an 848-word opening statement. "I felt that it was important enough to do that prior to the start of camp."

These are unprecedented times at 1 Patriot Place — or any NFL address, for that matter. Odin Lloyd, 27, is dead, and Hernandez is charged with committing the murder while a member of the Patriots.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented proceedings. On Wednesday, Belichick rose to the magnitude of recent events.

"It’s a sad day, really a sad day on so many levels," Belichick continued in his opening remarks. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and I extend my sympathy really to everyone who has been impacted. A young man lost his life. His family has suffered a tragic loss and there’s no way to understate that.

"When I was out of the country, I learned about the ongoing criminal investigation that involved one of our players and I and other members of the organization were shocked and disappointed in what we learned. Having someone in your organization that’s involved in a murder investigation is a terrible thing. After consultation with ownership, we acted swiftly and decisively."

At about the same time Hernandez once again stood in an Attleboro courtroom, Belichick was as forthright, honest and empathetic as he has ever been in front of a microphone.

"As the coach of the team," he said, "I’m primarily responsible for the people we bring into the football program."

Nothing Belichick said Wednesday will bring back Odin Lloyd or ease the family’s pain. Nor would his words take Hernandez out of his North Dartmouth prison cell and put him back in a Patriot uniform. They are mere utterances.

However, coming from the man who has set the tone for the franchise in the new millennium, those words cannot be taken lightly.

"My comments are certainly not in proportion to the unfortunate and sad situation that we have here," he said. "I’ve been advised to address the subject once and it’s time for the New England Patriots to move forward."

Almost a month after the Patriots’ Pro Bowl tight end was taken from his home in handcuffs, the normally tight-lipped coach gave a refreshingly unprecedented take on the horrific events.

"It certainly goes way beyond being a football issue, there’s no question about that," Belichick said. "This is real life, so it’s a substantial issue.

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"I don’t know how it could be any more substantial or any bigger."

Given that Hernandez has not even gone to trial yet, Belichick said he could not discuss matters specific to Hernandez or the case. He even stayed away from a question on Alfonzo Dennard, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI two weeks ago, as well as saying that the organization did not know about Hernandez's connection to a 2012 double homicide.

"I know that there are a lot of questions, fair questions, about this subject and related subjects," he said in his opening statement. "I’m not trying to make the story disappear but I respect the judicial process and have been advised not to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. I’m advising our players to do the same thing."

It was anyone’s guess how he would approach Wednesday’s press conference. This is not Spygate, Albert Haynesworth’s character issues or Julian Edelman’s arrest. This is not the acquisition of questionable characters Corey Dillon or Aqib Talib. This was not another distraction. This is not just another roster spot to fill.

This press conference, one unprecedented in NFL history, was an indication. And his words were a confirmation.

"Overall, I’m proud of the hundreds of players that have come through this program but I’m personally disappointed and hurt in a situation like this," Belichick said. "As far as the whole process goes, I can tell you that we look at every player’s history from the moment we start discussing it, going back to his family, where he grew up, what his lifestyle was like, high school, college experiences. We evaluate his performance, his intelligence, his work ethic, his motivation, his maturity, his improvement and we try to project that into our organization on a going forward basis. … Obviously, this process is far from perfect, but it’s one we’ve used from 2000 until today.

"Unfortunately, this most recent situation with the charges involved is not a good one on that record."

Opinions on his public obligations as a head coach always vary. We’ve come to expect only tidbits of fresh information from Belichick’s media sessions, and we are often left reading the tealeaves.

On Wednesday, he made no mistake about it. On matters away from Xs and Os, Belichick showed a side of himself so rarely seen.

"We’ll learn from this terrible experience that we’ve had," he said. "We’ll become a better team from the lessons that we’ve learned."

On this day, he humanized himself. The team made a mistake. He made a mistake. He was as shocked and saddened as the rest of us, likely more so.

The events of the early morning hours of June 17 have shaken both he and the organization to the core, and he wanted to let the public know that it does indeed affect the way the team will do business going forward.

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"I think the process is the same as it’s been for the last 14 years," he said. "I think that we’ll continue to try to look at ourselves in the mirror and see where we can do a better job."

We won't forget. The Patriots won’t forget. But they have no choice but to move on.

Tim Whelan Jr. can be reached at 508-626-4402 or twhelan@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thattimwhelan.